I cried. Twice. Watching Kerryn McCann winning the Commonwealth Games Marathon yesterday had me with tears running down my cheeks. Her battle with the young Kenyan runner Hellen Koskei over the final 4 kilometres was brilliantly captured by the television cameras.
The second occasion was that afternoon when Steve Moneghetti presented Kerryn with her gold medal and they hugged for a long time.
I remember reading about Kerryn in Fun Runner magazine in the early 1980s. She was yet another promising junior runner. In September 1986 I ran with her for many kilometres in the Mercury Tooheys Wollongong Half Marathon. At the age of 18 she won the race in 82:54. Twenty years later, she has won a race that will be remembered for a very long time. A race that will define her career and also define the essence of what it means to win on guts and emotion.
I've been feeling a bit flat since the Six Foot Track. You train for a big event for months and suddenly it's over. The Canberra Marathon is on in less than three weeks. Norma has been battling an injury but, thankfully, it looks like she'll make the starting line. What happens after the gun is a mystery. I hope it's a mystery with a happy ending. I think I can cope with happy emotions.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Too emotional
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8 comments:
Yeah I cried twice too mate. Great stuff. I learn't so much from watching that race (well as much as CH9 would let me watch) and the Triathlons. I want to kick like Kerryn and Robbo. Easier said than done I guess.
Where the bloody hell were you ? You were doing something that 19,999,243 Australians were not doing mate. Huge effort Ewen. Well done. Great report too.
Wow, must've been an extra special moment for you Ewen, having run with Kerryn.
Hope you start to feel a little more energised soon. But I guess its only been just over a week since 6ft, I think we forget how long it takes us to get over these things.
Yeah I cried too. It was a magic race. The courage of both Kerryn and the Kenyan was incredible.
As for bringing my beanie and gloves to Canberra, don't worry I have them packed. I used both when living in London in the early 80s. The beanie is one My Wife knitted for me and it has a "Miles Miles More Miles" pattern around the bottom. My gloves are Gore Tex which was the miracle fabric at the time. Haven't used either since coming back to Brisbane in 1983.
I'm glad that, like the good Cool Runners we are, we all cried together!
CB liked this post very much &, mystery or no mystery, she will be at both the start & finish line!
Ewen, I'm sure the enthusiasm will return soon!
And the interviews afterwards, indicating that she had an attack of the cramps at 35km, and still toughed it out, that is really gutsy.
And I didn't notice that during the race.
City to Surf is one of my favorite runs.
Kerryn has been an inspiration with her wins there.
Yeah, I was nearly yelling at the TV urging her on. Didn't cry because I don't - long story.
RYC. Would you believe that my red shoes don't have much cushioning under the heel. Having a raised heel is one of the things recommended for tendonitis recovery. That almost makes me cry!
Word verification: xdrhdaddo - the other Daddo. I turned my word verification off a month ago at the request of a few bloggers and I haven't had a single spam since then. You should try it.
I think there will be a lot of emotion at the Canberra finish line Ewen. I too, hope that it is joyous. I choose to believe it will be.
Thanks for encouragement through this campaign. It means a lot to me.
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